Ray Charles died today. He set the stage for much of what passes for Soul and R&B these days, and his passing is another sad marker of the end of an era of what was, to me, real music.

I saw him once a few years ago at the Hollywood Bowl. He seemed terribly weak and frail even then and his voice was a thin echo of what it used to be, but even with all that it was a great night of music. I’m glad I got the chance to see him perform.

Bye, Ray. We’ll miss you.